Projectile.



UNITED STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT OEEicE.

PRouEc-HLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,468, dated July 11, 1905.

Application filed June 26, 1903. Serial No. 163,227.

To all whom it may concern: l

Be it known that I, JOHN SHEARMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefullmprovement in Projectiles, of which the followingis afull, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, in explaining its nature.

The projectile is of that kind having a body portion and atail, the tail portion being adapted to extend back through a hole in the,

breech of the gun.

The-various im proved incidents of the projectiles construction can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawings, in which- Figure l is a View of the projectile shown loaded into or in its combined relationship to the gun. Fig. 2 is a plan of the gun, showing especially the relative length of the projectile thereto, a portion of the projectile being shown in plan and the relative location of the rest indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 3 shows in plan a detail of construction, to which reference will hereinafter be made.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a section of the gun, showing especially its breech and parts adjacent thereto.

A' represents the breech-block. This block instead of being made solid, closing the breech, is made with a cylindrical hole passing longitudinally through it, which hole is somewhat smaller than the bore of the gun.

B represents the projectile, having a body b and a tail b. The tail, when the body of the projectile is loaded or placed in the gun, as shown, extends back through the hole passing through the breech-block, as before referred to. The tail of the projectile in length approximates the length of the gun, or, in other words, is of such extension that when the gun is red the end of the tail will not be drawn from the hole in the breech block through which it passes until the body of the projectile has cleared the muzzle of the gun. Adjacent to the point where the tail projects the body of the projectile forms an annular shoulder b2, between which and the end of the breech-block Al is formed an annular powderchamber C, in which is placed the charge c. inasmuch as it is my desire to form the projectile in the nature of a shell containing an explosive charge, and inasmuch as that portion of the tail of the projectile which liesv adjacent to the powder-chamber and for some distance back therefrom must be made solid in order to withstand the explosive impact of the charge, therefore the tail in its relation to the body of the projectile has a built-up construction comprising the outside tubular portion b3, into the forward end of vwhich screws the plug a distance sufficient to reinforce.

any suitable bursting charge and which cham-v ber is closed at its rear end by the plug screwing into the rear end of the tubular portion of the tail. The forward end of the projectile is concaved, forming an outer round cutting edge 227, and is fitted with a head 68, convexed in part, so as to fit into the concaved end of the projectile and rounding forward to a point from the cutting' edge 57 thereof, as before referred to. The head 68 is fastened to the body of the projectile by screwing upon the threaded plug b, which screws into a hole tapped into the concaved forward end of the same. The head is formed of material somewhat softer than the main body of the projectile, which material, however, will not become corrugated by the impact of the air during the passage of the. projectile, yet is sufficiently soft as to flatten upon the projectile striking any hard substance; this for purposes as will hereinafter be referred to. Passing longitudinally through the projectile from about the point 61 in the head thereof to the chamber b5, formed in its tail, is the passage bu. A perf cussion-cap 512. or other means of ignition lies at the end of this passage adjacent to the chamber f, or where it will ignite the bursting charge contained within the same. A rod IOO 7f3 extends within the passage aforesaid, so that its end may come in striking contact with said percussion-cap or other means; but it is especially to be noted that this rod 7)13 is so much shorter than the passage 61.1 within which it lies that both ends of the rod will not be in simultaneous contact with the percussion-cap at the one end and the end of the passage at the other; but when the rear end of the rod is contacting with the percussion-cap its forward end will lie some little distance removed from the forward end of the passage; this for purposes as will hereinafter be referred to.

The operative action of the gun is as follows: Upon firing the charge the tail of the projectile draws through the hole in the breech-block, through which the tail extends, as before explained, and passing into the bore of the gun back of the main body of the projectile, against the annular shoulder of which the gaseous pressure is being exerted, tends to keep compressed the gases therein by reason of the fact that the area of the tail takes up a substantial portion of the area of the bore, wherefore the gases instead of filling the entire bore of the gun back of the body of the projectile against which they are pressing, as is ordinarily the case, can expand only into a *portion of the same, or, in other words, the gases are so confined by the tail of the projectile that their pressure is continued upon the bodythereof even up to the moment of its leaving the muzzle of the gun, for, as before said, the tail of the projectile does not draw entirely through the breech-block until the body of the projectileagainst which the gaseous pressure is being exerted has cleared the muzzle of the gun. The effect is especially good when a charge is used which explodes with an even loW continuous pressure. The propulsion of the projectile is also increased by the fact that as the tail thereof draws through the bore of the gun it is acted upon by the gases, which effect a still greater acceleration. This is evidenced by the fact that the tail of the projectile must be made sufficiently strong to withstand the crushing impact of the gases, not only being made solid adjacent to the powder-chamber, where it receives the initial wave-pressure of the charge, but must also be made strong in the part containing the bursting charge, lest it be distorted by the pressure of the gases. Another advantage exists in forming the projectile or shell with a tail and combining the same with the gun in the manner specified, and this particularly with reference to the fact that the bursting charge lies back of the powder-chamber,

drawing after the projectile, as it were, Where exist or may be found which would not withstand the concussion forward of the exploding charge, as when confined in the body of the projectile, but which might be drawn after the same, as by being confined in the tail of the proj ectile, normally extending back of the powderchamber, where it does not receive the direct impact of the exploding charge; With reference to the means for elfecting the explosion of the bursting charge the combination of the parts shown is such that it would be impossible to explode the charge by the ordinary handling of the shell even if the same receive severe concussion, but the charge would become exploded onlyupon the iattening of the head of the projectile when struck against some hard substance, when through the intermediary of the rod 613 the `percussion-cap or such like means of ignition would be struck and the charge exploded. In addition to the efficiency of such means as regards the safe handling of the shell the means is also effective in that the bursting charge will be slow in exploding relatively to the time of impact of the head of the projectile. In other words, the head must become somewhat crushed before the explosion can possibly take place, meaning that the projectile will have reached a point where the explosion of the charge will take place to the best advantage. The fact that the forward end of the body of the projectile is formed with a cutting edge also tends to its eflciency. Upon striking against the hard surface the relative soft head of the projectile will become attened and the body thereof with its cutting edge would then pass through the fiattened head and more effect- -ively cut into the substance against which the impact was made.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the rear end of the projectile as provided with wings D. Although these wings are but an arbitrary feature of my invention, yet on account of the extended length of the projectile such guiding means would insure it a more accurate flight. In the construction of these wings it is necessary that they be so combined with the tail of the projectile that they may pass through the hole in the breech-pin, through which the tail passes. On this account they have the relative arrangement shown, being secured to the respective ends of a spring which is fixed to the rear end of the tail of the projectile, or rather to the plug b, forming a portion of the same. The tension of the spring would tend to hold the wings normally spread; but they are held drawn back, soV as to pass through the breech-block, by the pin member d', extending from near the edge of one wing, catching into a socket d2, formed on the edge of the other, the socket being so formed that when the wings are further folded then the pin will be forced from its socket and upon the quick release of the wings it will not catch, but the wings will become spread. Such subsequent folding of the Wings is obtained byY making the same to spread slightly more than the diameter of the hole in the breech-block through which they draw, the effect being that when the wings pass through the hole their tips will contact with the wall thereof, folding the wings more tightly together, after which they become released to spread.

Having thus fully described my invention, i claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of thc United Statesl. A projectile adapted for a gun of the character specified, said projectile having a tail which tail of the projectile extends backward through the breech of the gun and is chambered to carry a bursting charge.

2. A projectile adapted for a gun of the character specified having a powder-chamber, said projectile chambered to carry a bursting charge back of the powder-chamber.

3. A projectile adapted for a gun of the character specified, said projectile having'a body b, and a tail b, comprising the outside tubular part b3, and plugs between which is formed the chamber b5, substantially as de.

scribed.

4. A projectile adapted for a gun of the character specified, said projectile having a tail, which tail of the projectile is adapted to extend backward through the breech of the gun, and is chambered to carry a bursting charge and means for exploding saidA bursting charge comprising a percussion-cap or like means of ignition, a passage extending through the projectile from within the headed end thereof, communicating with said percussion-cap, and arod contained within said passage, which rod is somewhat shorter than the extension thereof whereby its respective ends cannot be in contact with said percussion-cap and the forward end of the passage at the same time, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. A projectile adapted for a gun of the character specied havinga hole in the breech,

said projectile having body and tail portions, the body portion of which projectile is adapted to fit into the bore of the gun while the tail portion thereof extends backward from the body through the hole in the breech, Wings secured to said tail portion of the projectile, and means for holding back said wings, when folded, whereby they may pass into and through said hole in the breech and become automatically released to spread for the guidance of the projectile in its iiight.

6. A projectile adapted for a gun of the character specified having a hole in the breech, said projectile having body and tail portions, the body portion of which projectile is adapted to fit into the bore of the gun while the tail portion thereof extends backward from the body through the hole in the breech, wings secured to said tail portion of the projectile, and means for interlocking said wings when folded, whereby they may pass into and through said hole in the breech and become automatically released to spread for the guidance of the projectile in its iiight.

7. A projectile adapted for a gun of the character specified having ahole in the breech, said projectile having body and tail portions, the body portion of which projectile is adapted to flt into the bore of the gun while the tail portion thereof extends backward from the body through the hole in the breech, wings secured to said tail portion of the projectile, and means for holding said wings drawn back in a partially-folded position, whereby they may pass into and through said hole in the breech and by a slight contact with the Wall of said hole may automatically become released to spread for the guidance of the projectile in its Hight.

JOHN SHEARMAN.

Witnesses:

F. F. RAYMOND, 2d, J. M. DoLAN. 

